The 2010-2011 New Mexico State women's basketball team has been picked to finish sixth by both the coaches and media. The Aggies are coming off of an 18-14 campaign which saw them defeat a Top 25 opponent and also reach postseason play for just the fourth time in program history as they participated in the Women's Postseason NIT.

The postseason appearance is an accomplishment that head coach Darin Spence feels cannot be understated and he's seen a difference in his players this past offseason. "I see a different twinkle in their eye. They see how all the hard work paid off for them," said Coach Spence. "Those kids have learned from it and there's a little bit different expectation they have for themselves every day in practice, every day when we have our meetings, when we have our film sessions, those kids that were there, the ones who are returning, they get it now. "

Among those returners are four starters, Madison Spence, Crystal Boyd, Danisha Corbett and Tabytha Wampler. The Aggies lose Crystal Boyd who led the team in scoring averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game but have added a pair of freshmen and a transfer all of whom eighth year head coach Darin Spence believes will have an immediate impact on the floor. Continue Reading This Post >>

Aggie women's basketball head coach Darin Spence will go anywhere to spread the word about his team and for the second straight year that mantra has him camping out in front of the Pan American Center where he'll stay this week until 100 season tickets have been sold. "We have very few athletic traditions here [at New Mexico State] especially for our women's basketball program so if this is one we need to start making a yearly thing, I'm all for it."

The campaign was successful last year for the Aggie women's basketball program as the Las Cruces community helped New Mexico State set new marks for both revenue and season ticket sales. "Revenue was the highest in a 10 year period and our season tickets were the highest in the history of the program," said Coach Spence.

The Aggies are coming off of an 18-14 season in which the team made just the fourth postseason appearance in program history. The Aggies played in the postseason WNIT against traditional women's basketball power Arizona State and while the Aggies lost the game, the benefits that the experience gave to his program are immeasurable. "I see just a different twinkle in their eye. They see how all the hard work paid off for them," said Coach Spence. "Our reward, while it wasn't the NCAA tournament but the NIT we feel good about that and those kids have learned from it and now there's just a little bit different expectation that they have on themselves even every day in practice, every day when we have our meetings, every day when we have our film sessions, there's just a difference in how they carry themselves. They get it now." Continue Reading This Post >>

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Basketball is a team sport, and multiple players must play well to win an individual game and their conference. New Mexico State University women's basketball player Madison Spence is without a doubt one of the best players to have stepped on the court donning Crimson and White.

The 2010-11 preseason all-conference selection has helped the Aggies advance to a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament final and claim a WNIT bid in three years.

Before heading into her senior year, she has the confidence that comes from an amazing, successful career at NM State while accomplishing goals and breaking records. However in Spence's world it's more than just about what she is doing on the court.

"I know how much work I have put into this, so to see some things happen is great, but our team still hasn't won a WAC Championship," stated Spence. "That's really what I want to get this year."

Weekends in the life of this student athlete may be boring to some people, including herself, but honestly Spence is dedicated and focused. Going to the gym for an extra hour so she can hit her personal goal of becoming the best three-point shooter in the WAC and heading out to her brother's football game on a Saturday afternoon to show her support is part of her routine. Cheering for her sister at a Special Olympics event or coaching her sister's basketball team, these occasions exemplify her dedication on and off the court. She will at times shadow local Dr. Robert Villalobos to see what being an ophthalmologist is all about, as she pursues her degree. Plus she is studying for all her classes because the two-time Academic All-WAC selection is determined to make a 4.0 each semester. Continue Reading This Post >>

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State women’s basketball team was chosen to place sixth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) by both the media and coaches in the preseason polls released by the conference office Oct. 19.

Senior guard Madison Spence was selected as a member of the preseason All-WAC Second Team in both polls while classmate Jasmine Lowe earned All-WAC Second Team honors in the coaches’ poll.

Last season the Aggies advanced to their fourth postseason appearance in school history and finished in a tie for fourth place in the WAC after being picked fifth by the coaches and sixth by the media in the preseason polls. NM State advanced to the postseason for the first time since 1994 as a WNIT squad and finished the year at 18-14, doubling its win total from the season prior.

"I’m not really surprised about where we were picked," head coach Darin Spence said. "To be honest, I really don’t put a lot of stock into the preseason polls. This may give our team something to play for this season, to prove we are a better team and hit another level.

“I really see the league race this year being pretty tough. I know that a lot of teams have players back in key positions. I think we can play with anybody.” Continue Reading This Post >>

DENVER -- The 2009-10 academic All-WAC freshmen and transfers have been announced and NM State had 48 student-athletes honored. The Aggies' soccer team led the way with 11 honorees, swimming and diving had nine honorees, Chelsa McDonnell, Camille Schultz and Courtney Schultz earned honors for three different sports, women's cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. The softball team had seven honorees, baseball had five, men's cross country had four, volleyball, women's basketball and football each had two and the men's and women's golf teams each had one.

The WAC announced the 2009-2010 Academic All-WAC teams for the winter sports and a total of 36 Aggies were honored. The women's track and field team led the way with a total of 16 honorees while swimming and diving followed closely behind with 14 honorees. The women's basketball team placed a total of five players on the list while men's basketball had one.

The 36 Aggie student-athletes join the 33 honorees for the 2009 Fall Academic All-WAC Teams. The Aggies placed six more student-athletes on the Academic All-WAC Teams for the winter sports than they did last year.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must have completed at least one academic year, have at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s contests. The following is a list of the winter sport honorees: Continue Reading This Post >>

The New Mexico State Aggie women's basketball team's season will continue as the team has been selected to play in the WNIT. The Aggies will face Arizona State on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Walls Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

Arizona State finished 9-9 in Pac 10 play and are 17-13 overall while the Aggies finished 8-8 in WAC play and are 18-13 overall. This is just New Mexico State's fourth postseason appearance in the program's 35 year history as the Aggies made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in the 1986-1987 and 1987-1988 seasons and last appeared in the postseason in the 1993-1994 season when they were in the WNIT. The Sun Devils are making their 10th consecutive postseason appearance under head coach Charli Turner-Thorne and prior to this season had appeared in the NCAA Tournament four consecutive seasons reaching the Elite Eight in the 2007 and 2009 NCAA Tournaments.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. General public tickets can be purchased in person or by calling the Sun Devil Ticket Office at 480-727-0000. Tickets prices are $6 for reserved seats, $5 for general admission and $3 for groups of 15 or more. Continue Reading This Post >>